Using my voice to defend those we cannot yet hear.

Dear Planned Parenthood: You Forgot About Me.

Below is a letter I have just sent to Planned Parenthood & Cecile Richards. I’m tired of hearing about reproductive health clinics that offer no services for those looking to reproduce. Yes, I’m aware it’s sort of pointless & PP won’t care what I have to say, but I couldn’t resist sharing how I feel.

Dear Planned Parenthood,

You forgot about me.
I’m a 24 year old woman on limited income living in a small town.
I’m not a rabid feminist, an impressionable teen girl, or a member of the LGBT community so I don’t expect you doing much to get me to support you but I thought I’d mention to you that while you are claiming to care so much about women and their reproductive health, you are leaving out a huge group of us.
6% of the women in America are like me, that’s over 1.5 million women who you will not offer reproductive health care to via your reproductive health clinics.
Those of us who do not conceive as easily as the girl to our right would still appreciate support and care for our reproductive health needs. And as we too have been funding your “reproductive health care clinics” I feel it’s only right we are offered resources for our reproductive needs as well.
I was sad to see when looking up your lists of services that you do not offer any services in regards to planning for parenthood.
As this is the name of your organization you can imagine it was a let down when I saw that there is no planned parenting happening through your clinics.

I’m a young woman with reproductive health issues and I was told Planned Parenthood was a reproductive health clinic so I had hoped I would be able to take advantage of that affordable reproductive care you offer that I’ve heard so much about.
Sadly, not one of the tests or treatments I need for reproductive health is offered at your clinics.
I do not need a birth control pill.
I do not need STD tests.
I do not need an abortion.
I need reproductive healthcare!
I need ultrasounds.
I need fertility testing.
I need information on treatments.
I need diagnosis & treatment for ovarian disease.
I need information on ARTs.
I need resources for adoption.
I need information & options on how to PLAN for PARENTHOOD not on how to prevent parenthood.
These aren’t major services, these aren’t things requiring a “specialist”.
These are the simplest of reproductive health services that should be offered at a clinic who promotes planning parenthood.

So I ask you this: Why do you call yourself “Planned Parenthood” when you are really more like Unwanted Pregnancy clinics who refuse to help a HUGE group of women who need reproductive healthcare?

Don’t tell me it’s because you help women with pregnancy, and I’m not at risk for pregnancy so I don’t need reproductive care. I’m fairly certain the LGBT community doesn’t get unexpectedly pregnant either but you’re all about speaking up for their “reproductive health”.

Why do you not care about me and the thousands of women like me and our health?
If your so pro woman,
why aren’t you pro all women?

I think it’s only fair you actually offer parenthood planning services or you should change the name of your organization. It’s extremely offensive, misleading, and gives false hope to women like me who are actually looking to plan for parenthood.

If you want to be Planned Parenthood, please start offering services that actually include planning for parenthood.

2 thoughts on “Dear Planned Parenthood: You Forgot About Me.”

I think you are mistaken. Many Planned Parenthoods do provide basic infertility testing, as well as basic information about infertility and treatments. (Example: http://www.plannedparenthoodfertility.org/) They do refer to OBGYNs or reproductive endocrinologists for specialized treatment, because treating infertility is not “basic” services. Most OBGYNs can’t even provide specialized fertility treatment. It’s the same for the cancer screenings Planned Parenthood provide. They can give you with a diagnosis, but they will refer you to an oncologist for treatment, not only because you are better off with a specialist, but because they couldn’t continue to offer the preventative services they offer at the low cost they offer if they were also offering highly specialized treatment for all patients. They partner with experts instead.

Beyond that, Planned Parenthood provides counseling on how to improve your odds of getting pregnant if you are trying to conceive. They will discuss with you how your cycle works, how to temp and use OPKs to improve your timing, counsel you on smoking cessation and healthy diet and exercise, and also give you the appropriate timeline and red flags for infertility. They can provide an exam to make sure you are in basically good health to begin trying to conceive, which may include an STD test. (FTR, STI testing is critical to protecting future fertility.) They also provide prenatal care and classes, and if that’s not helping someone prepare for parenthood, I don’t know what is.

You would probably brush me off as a “rabid feminist” and therefore not worth listening to, but your arguments here are easily disproven. I understand if you are pro-life and therefore do not support an organization that provides abortion services, but stick to the facts. Planned Parenthood does help women who want to be mothers and who already are mothers by providing basic preventative services and information about and referrals for more specialized care when required.